SAFETY & WELLNESS

Journalists and media persons are required to leave their homes to report in difficult circumstances. However, Sanef acknowledges that reporting on a pandemic such as COVID-19 poses psychologically challenging and unprecedented life-changing experiences for journalists in South Africa and around the globe. At the same time, journalists are frequently at risk of being harassed online in an attempt by hostile actors to intimidate or force them into silence. The harassment, most commonly directed at female journalists, often includes threats of violence against the journalist and their family and friends.

The 2022 AGM resolved to establish a new Safety and Wellness Subcommittee to tackle these challenges including plugging into both local and international organisations such as the CPJ offering free journalism wellness counseling services and expertise.

Please contact the committee chair: Katy Katopodis – [email protected]